Protect and Survive
by fullmetalscully
Summary: The kingdom of Alba is on the brink of war as Bradley tries to conquer the continent and unite it under one rule: his. A group of rebels aim to fight him, brought together with one common goal, to restore the kingdom to her former glory and save her people from Bradley's enslavement. Magic AU.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: this has been in my head for WEEKS and i've finally got the rest of it down so since the first chapter has been sitting there for ages, i've decided to get it out there to try and motivate myself to finish it! hope you enjoy!**

**all place names are related to scottish places/words. my country really hit the jackpot with magical sounding places so i decided why not?**

**the geography is correct, although i changed some things for this au (eg the distances between places – the distance between stonehaven and torridon is roughly 170 miles but 200 was a nice round number lmao)**

**"alba" is the gaelic name for scotland and the name of the continent in this au**

* * *

_**once in a lifetime, you live and love**_

_**once in a lifetime, you die**_

_**once in a moment, the sun goes down**_

_**protect and survive**_

The wind swirled around the three wizards, trapping them in the vortex of magic, thanks to Bradley. His air magic created hurricane-level winds that battered the other two wizards around the small room where their fight was taking place. Riza was trapped upright against the stone wall behind the altar holding the almost complete portal, being pushed and pulled by the air. It was so violent, her hair was ripped from its ponytail and swirled around her face, obscuring her vision. However, there was only one thing in her mind's eye, and that was how to get out of this, defeat Bradley, and save the kingdom just like they were tasked to do.

This room was not what Riza expected to find in the crypt Bradley had retreated to when Riza's army had cut down his forces quicker than anticipated. Throughout his earlier monologue, the so called "king" had told them all about the power the land in the north possessed.

That was why he wanted his hands on it.

Her land.

Riza's eyes lifted to meet her partner's, who was currently face down, being pushed to the ground by the force of Bradley's magic. The wizard towered over him, leering, acting as if he knew the fight had already been one. Bradley's cronies remained outside the hurricane, watchful eyes on the two intruders but ready to battle at a moment's notice.

That's when Riza made her decision. They had talked about this before, but Roy was adamant she never use it, but she - no, they - had no other choice.

It was either use this spell or doom the entire kingdom and continent to the dictatorship Bradley strived for.

Their eyes met and Roy stilled, stopping his struggle against Bradley's magic as it pinned him to the ground.

The widening of his eyes told her he understood what she was about to do.

And he wasn't happy about it.

"Hawkeye-!"

His cry was cut off as she begun to glow, a soft green light emitting from her body. Riza closed her eyes, unable to bear seeing the anguish in Roy's eyes. She blocked it out, concentrating on lifting all her magical energy to the surface of her skin and focussing on moving it to one point; her hands.

"Hawkeye, don't!"

Too late.

With all her might and her last remaining reserves of magic energy she lifted the stone from beneath Bradley's feet, the roots that ran deep in the dirt below them shattering through stone like a brick through glass. It broke Bradley's concentration long enough so Roy could break free and jump to his feet.

Then she extended her arms towards Roy, eyes opening to meet his petrified ones, as he made to sprint towards her, instead of launch his attack against their enemy.

"Riza!"

She threw the ball of energy towards him, hitting him square in the chest, and ultimately causing him to stumble backwards and out of the magical circle Bradley had created. It left him outside, with Bradley's cronies, unable to penetrate the magical barrier, and left Riza inside with the man who now had the opportunity to kill her there and then.

But Roy had absorbed the energy she had given him.

Riza's magic - earth based with control of the soil, roots, and foliage - was not strong enough to best Bradley's, she could only restrain him, which she had already done prior, only for the bastard to break through it with his own magic power. Roy's fire magic, however, would be able to beat him. The wind would only fan his flames which now would be even stronger with the addition of Riza's magical energy.

So, like countless times before, Riza put her faith in him as she collapsed to her knees, head bowed forward as all her energy was now sapped from her being. Heat surged in the room, breaking her out in a sweat, but she smiled as her eyes closed and she passed out.

If the heat had reached her it meant Roy had broken through Bradley's magic.

She was left vulnerable, incapacitated, and would be without magic for an extended period of time. With Roy fighting Bradley he wouldn't be able to watch her back, but that was okay. She understood the risk and could see the picture for the greater good. They had to save the kingdom, and this was the only way to do it.

* * *

"Riza, promise me you will never use that spell," Roy begged, clasping her hands in his. Riza glanced down at them, noting how his hands were soft, having never truly felt the weight of sword. His fire magic was strong enough that he didn't need to wield a blade in battle. Riza, however, worked with vines, trees, and their roots. She could handle them, direct them to fight for her or craft weapons from their materials. Roy's fire wasn't a solid object, so he had no reason to use his hands.

"I don't –"

"Promise," he demanded, gaze hard as he stared her down, challenging Riza to deny him of this.

But she couldn't agree to it. It would be a lie.

This spell – the one her grandfather had taught her before he was murdered by Bradley – could transfer the user's magical energy to another person. It was an absolute spell, there was no measured quantity the user could send, it used all their magic energy, leaving them spent and without the ability to perform magic until it recharged.

It left the user vulnerable in a fight, however, could save someone's life when they needed it most.

"Riza."

"You know I can't promise that," she whispered, casting her eyes down. The grip on her hand tightened and Roy inhaled. He wasn't happy.

"You must."

"I can't, Roy. You know why."

Roy shook his head. "You are the only one who can destroy the portal," he reminded her, releasing her hands and turning back to face their makeshift campfire. He ran a hand through his hair as Riza stole a glance at him, noticing how the fire danced in his eyes, but his expression betrayed how exhausted he was.

"You could do it too," Riza replied earnestly, her words stilling Roy's agitated movements. "All you need to do it focus on the centre and blast it with your fire. With that spell I can give you enough energy –"

"Enough," he barked, expression darkening. "You're not using it."

Riza felt her anger spike. "You forbid me?"

"Yes," he snapped, standing from his seat beside her. He paced in front of the fire, Riza's eyes watching his every move. "I won't allow it."

Riza laughed un disbelief. "You won't allow it. Mustang, what the hell–"

"I'm not arguing about this," he hissed, whirling to face her. "I need you alive and fighting, not incapacitated. If you use it, then you leave me to face Bradley alone." He stopped his agitated movements, his next words turning Riza's blood cold. "Don't take the cowards way out."

Stunned silence filled the cave as the two stared each other down. "Cowards way out" she repeated in her head. Who the FUCK –

Roy scoffed, leaving the cave and entering the snowstorm that whirled outside. His body begun to glow, hints of red and orange surrounding him. The snow turned to steam as it neared his retreating form, the heat of his anger literally burning away the precipitation.

Riza seethed.

* * *

**purposefully written so that the "present" happens first, then the "past" happens second**

**the chapters will be relatively shorter too (the overall story isn't complete but i'm only at 4.5k words at chapter 5) but updates will be relatively quick**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: okay, now we're getting into it! time for some angst and some setting the scene**

**again, it reads as present first then past second to give an insight into how the present came about and will continue to be in this style until both moments in the story meet up. if it gets too confusing or you don't like it lmk and i'll try and work around it or might even scrap it all together**

**hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Riza!" she heard Roy scream as her world begun to turn black. Heat licked at her skin, sweat prickling atop it. Goosebumps joined the sweat at the sound of his voice, noting the emotion in it. It was like…

It was the call of someone who was about to lose everything.

But… That couldn't be true…

That night in the cave had been a week ago and it was right in this particular moment that Riza regretted that they hadn't talked about it. Instead, Roy had sulked around the Hughes' family home, avoiding her at all costs. Riza had wanted to get it sorted out, before both their worlds unavoidably went to shit, but apparently it wasn't meant to be.

Nothing had been discussed between them.

Now, Riza realised, if she died here at the hands of the man who had tried so desperately to wipe out her family, their legacy, she would never know his true thoughts and feelings towards her.

They were friends, had been since they were kids, but it had become strained in recent months. Whether that was because of the stress of being constantly hunted by their enemy, the threat of the impending and inevitable war, or simply because Roy had just grown tired of her, Riza didn't know. Probably a combination of the three.

There was an inkling of something further between them, but before it could blossom into anything that night in the cave happened. When she looked in Roy's eyes as he begged her not to use the spell that could possibly kill her in a desperate, losing battle, she thought she saw an inkling of that feeling she also harboured, but it was gone when he told her not to take the cowards way out. Even thinking of it now it made her blood simmer in anger.

Now, she never would know.

Riza had often thought they were two sides of the same coin. She nurtured life from the soil while his fire caused destruction, burning all foliage that dared stood in its way. However, Riza could use those vines and tree roots to fight, uprooting and disturbing the ground beneath their feet while Roy used his flames to cook their meals and provide warmth from the cold, giving them access to two of the basic human needs. Their magic worked well together.

It had become evident that the two people wielding it no longer did.

Riza wasn't fully unconscious when there was a sudden silence in the room, her body too exhausted to force her eyes open to see what was happening. Then, there was a strangled yell and Riza couldn't tell if it was Roy or Bradley. The thought of him dying, even after everything that had happened in this last week tore her eyes open, desperate to see if the man she loved was still among the living, if they had finally won their fight, or if it had all been for nought.

Just as Riza opened her eyes, a blinding light filled the small space, making her eyes burn with its intensity.

Even that couldn't keep her awake, because Riza finally succumbed to her magical exhaustion.

A tear rolled down her cheek, crying for the ones she had lost.

* * *

They were in hiding in the middle of the great Caledonian Pine Forest – and had been for weeks – which stretched the width of the continent of Alba and travelled miles to the north before it petered out on the hillside of the Torridon Hills – where they were headed now to meet up with their allies. Bradley had his men hot on their heels for months before they retired back to his base of operations in the lowlands to the south. They had heard nothing from the man or his army for the last two weeks. Riza remained cautious, however it was hard not to relish in the rest they had been granted for the moment.

Relaxing temporarily may be the biggest mistake of their lives, but they needed it. The last two months had been hell.

Two hundred miles they had covered – walking – in two months.

Two hundred miles.

Her mother, father, and grandfather had been murdered by Bradley, along with both of Roy's parents, in Riza's family home in the Cairngorm Mountains, the seat of power of the North. Alba was one continent but split into two different kingdoms. Riza's family ruled over the North while Bradley's had ruled the South – the lowlands.

Home.

Now it had been turned to ash.

The grand Hawkeye home, which had been strategically situated on the side of the Cairn Gorm mountain, gave them a sweeping view of the valley below and the surrounding area. It was easily defensible, giving enemy armies only one way to head up the mountain. They could go around or from behind by climbing to the summit, but the Hawkeye defences covered miles around the dozens of mountains surrounding Cairn Gorm. If there was a break in that magical barrier, it would be hours before the enemy could reach their home. By that time, her mother and father would have set out to fight them head on with their magic.

The mountain itself was beautiful, and so was the surrounding area. Riza had always adored it. From her bedroom window she could look down the valley and see the loch far below glistening in the sunlight and looking so inviting in the summer months when the heat was most oppressive. The pine forest petered out on the hillside and opened up to beautiful, heather filled moorland, which was equally as stunning when in bloom. Riza would watch her father's men burn the heather to fertilise the soil for the next season, keeping the ground and plant healthy. Red Deer were a common sight as they grazed on the heather, along with Reindeer. For decades the Hawkeyes had reared Reindeer, maintaining the population, and Riza had discovered she had connected with one in particular. It was a female, its coat pure white.

"That's the only pure white one we have in the herd," her grandfather had told her once she had approached Riza willingly, sniffing her hand then continuing to follow her for the rest of the day. "You must have made a special impact on her."

Riza had beamed.

Now she wondered what had happened to the poor beasts in the attack.

Her home was truly a sight to behold, surrounded by the peaceful Caledonian Forest, but now it had known such horror and bloodshed, Riza feared if she survived this she would never be able to return there without that tragedy haunting the pines, the wind whispering reminders of the night it was burned into her mind.

That had been ten years ago.

She and Roy had escaped thanks to the help of the Armstrong family. Alex Louis Armstrong smuggled the teenagers out of her home and to his own in the east by the sea, just outside the coastal town Stonehaven. The Armstrong and Mustang family had sworn loyalty to the Hawkeye line hundreds of years ago, and to this day, the bond remained strong.

Alex also lost his whole family that day.

That's why they were currently travelling north west and away from the comforts the eastern coastline had brought them for ten years.

To finally face the man who had destroyed their families.

Riza and Roy had been hunted by Bradley's dogs across the kingdom, a few days after they had left the Armstrong home. How they had found them, Riza didn't know, but Alex held his position, defending his family home against the intruders, barking at them he would meet them once this was over. An eagle had found them days later with a letter from their friend, stating he was headed north and was about a week behind them.

They had lost Bradley but refused to stop. They had no family left except from each other, and their nearest hope lay in the northern Torridon with the Hawkeye's allies.

Just one more day then they would be able to rest completely in the safety of their allies.

Then, if all went well, in a week or two Riza Hawkeye would step foot on the land that had been taken from her as Bradley tried to conquer the continents and unite it under absolute rule.

His.

In a few weeks she would be back on land that was rightfully hers as the last remaining person from the Hawkeye line.

If all went well.

* * *

**originally planned to be five chapters it's now about six/seven lmao so we'll see where this goes!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: sorry for the angst but not really ;) enjoy it**

* * *

"Riza?" a voice whispered in the darkness. She recognised it, but in her exhausted state she couldn't quite pinpoint who it belonged to. Currently in the state between waking and sleeping, Riza was disorientated and unsure what had happened to her.

She remembered wind, and losing her magical energy, that blinding light, and fire… Lots of heat and lots of fire.

Her body was moving, but Riza couldn't comprehend how. She was fighting consciousness, trying to focus on that voice.

There was a possibility she was still alive. If she was, Bradley could have taken her prisoner. Roy might still be alive – his magic was strong, and Bradley may have some twisted use for it. The thought made her want to struggle against the restraining force around her limbs, but her exhaustion was so great it was impossible.

The other option was she was on her way to after life, and this movement she felt was the spirits of her ancestors guiding them to her final resting place. That disembodied voice could be anyone calling her home. Something in her stirred at the thought of seeing her family again, along with the Hawkeyes who had ruled before her.

"Please…" it pleaded. "Please be okay." There was a warmth and a pressure pressed against the side of her head, the pressure around her back and legs increasing. "I can't – I can't do this without you."

She wanted to open her eyes and tell this person that it was okay, she would be okay, but her eyes and mouth didn't want to cooperate. They sounded so broken, so defeated… Riza wanted to end their suffering.

"Come back to me, please. I can't do this without you."

* * *

"Roy worries a lot," Maes Hughes, their ally in this battle against Bradley – and an old friend of the Mustang and Hawkeye family – told her in confidence one night when he found her in the wee hours of the morning occupying an armchair in his personal library. "Especially about the people he cares about."

The Mustang family were the King and Queen's advisors, however the Hughes family took up that mantle for northern part of the North Kingdom, as it was so large. They covered the islands off the west coast, as well as the two to the far north, Orkney and Shetland. The Armstrongs covered the east coast and down the border of their kingdom, halfway through the continent.

The Hughes family lived in a house similar to what the Hawkeye one had been, however on the eastern side of the Torridon Hills, on the Applecross peninsula. The Inner Sound – the sea strait separating the island of Skye with the mainland – stretched before their home to the west, giving them a clear view of the island stretching across the horizon.

What Riza wouldn't give to sail across that water and forget about all this heartache and strife…

Riza scoffed. "He doesn't care about me," she muttered.

"Yes, he does –"

"No, he doesn't. I'm just the last person he was stuck with. Coming here, I can see how much happier he is." She swallowed around the lump in her throat. "This is where he wants to be, not out there running for his life by my side. I've brought him nothing but trouble ever since he's known me."

"Riza –"

"It's true. His family comes to my home, they are murdered, and he is the only one left alive. The same thing happened to Alex, and he helped us escape because his family was sworn to the Hawkeyes. We stuck together because we had no other choice. He would have been better off not knowing me at all," Riza whispered bitterly. "They both would have."

Hughes commanded her attention with his sharp tone. "Don't you ever talk about yourself like that, Riza."

"It's the truth."

"Why do you think we follow you still, hm? Why do you think our families were sworn to protect you?"

"You had no other choice," Riza rounded on him, eyes flashing in her anger. "Our parents decided that for us, it wasn't you, it wasn't Alex, and it wasn't Roy." She took a deep breath, reminding herself that Hughes didn't deserve her anger. There was someone else she should be yelling at, but they were hundreds of miles away in the lowlands, plotting some way to kill her, and probably painfully too. "Take this as an official statement. You are no longer bound to the Hawkeye family. Neither is Roy." Riza swallowed past the lump in her throat, again. "Please pass on the message as he refuses to stay in the same room as me." Riza barked a laugh, but there was no humour in it. "He'll probably thank me and be on the next carriage out of here." Riza returned to facing the fire, avoiding Hughes' angry and piercing gaze as he listened to her. "You and your family are free to do as you please, and if I was you, I'd run away. Run away as far as you can."

"I refuse."

"What?"

"I refuse to break that oath." Riza blinked at him in surprise. "Do you know why?"

"Because you're an idiot?" she muttered under her breath, but Hughes still caught it and he frowned.

"Because I believe in you, Riza. I know you can fight Bradley and destroy him, reclaiming the northern kingdom and delivering the land back to the people he stole it from. You can do that. Not me, not Roy, but you. That's why we all follow you." His expression softened. "You are the rightful heir of the north, no one else."

Riza swallowed, feeling the weight of that title rest on her shoulders. She could claim she didn't want it, but there was nothing that would stop her from reclaiming these lands for her people. They had already been subjected to so many horrors thanks to Bradley. No more. She owed her family, Roy's family, and the Armstrong's that much.

Once this was all over with, she felt like she never wanted to see the damned North again.

Speaking of Roy, he didn't talk to her for the whole week they were at the Hughes' home. He moodily stormed about the Hughes' mountain residence, face like thunder, eyes piercing, yet avoiding her gaze.

He was civil and pleasant with everyone else, but when he came into contact with Riza it was like a switch was flicked and she couldn't understand it. That conversation in the cave had obviously be blown way out of proportion and needed to be dealt with, but Roy refused. She would enter a room and he would abruptly leave.

It only made her angrier.

If Riza was a spiteful character, maybe she wouldn't extend him the same courtesy as she had Hughes. Maybe she would keep his family sworn to hers just out of spite because of the idiotic way he was acting.

Hughes had tried to placate him, but Roy wasn't having it. He bit back with scathing remarks, throwing his anger in the face of his old friend. Hughes was having none of it, Riza noted with satisfaction, as Roy was put in his place time and time again.

"Stop acting like a child," Hughes hissed.

"I'm not –"

"Why are you acting like it? You claim you are ready for this to be over, yet you fight her on everything she suggests, even if it means putting a stop the man who wants absolute power over this kingdom and its people. Riza is prepared to do what needs to be done to save it. Are you?"

"You know the answer to that," Roy snapped.

"No, I don't. Not anymore. Because from what I've seen you aren't happy with what that sacrifice would entail."

"Of course, I'm not happy with it," Roy snarled. "How can I be? We're talking about Riza dying here! Why would I ever be okay with that?"

His yell reverberated around the study, bashing off the wood and making its way past the partly open door, to where Riza stood beyond, transfixed by the way Roy's eyes were shining in the firelight.

"The fact you're not okay with it reveals something," Hughes replied quietly, voice steady. "Something major –"

"Don't go there," Roy hissed. "Not now. I'm not going to listen to your wild accusations when they mean nothing."

Riza's heart stopped.

So, that's how it was.

"Do you know she tried to break our family's oaths?" Hughes announced and Riza cringed, despite herself. She had been speaking the truth when she gave Hughes the option, but hearing it back made her realise just how much she would hate it if Roy, Maes, or Alex, actually accepted it.

She didn't want Roy to. Not in a million years. Just the mere thought left her breathless and with a pit of agony in her chest.

Anyone, but him.

"Wh – What?" Roy stuttered, his anger gone, leaving bewilderment in its place.

"She tried to break the oath. Tried to force me away, asked me to run away from her, as far as I possibly could, and asked to pass the message onto you. What's your answer?"

Silence enveloped the room and Riza became very aware that she wasn't breathing. She couldn't. Not while she awaited his answer. A myriad of emotions flickered over his face, surprise, anger, a brief flash of fear, before bitterness finally took its place.

"Maybe I should, then."

He really didn't want to be by her side.

She knew it.

Seeing the look on his face, the bitterness in his expression, this confirmed it.

Riza felt her heart shatter as she finally understood.

She really had just been the last person he'd been stuck with. With no money to leave Stonehaven himself, Roy had stuck around and put up with her just because he had no other choice.

They were friends, sure, but they fought and there was a strain on their relationship that Riza was all too aware of, but often refused to acknowledge it simply because she couldn't face the real truth.

They weren't supposed to be together. She saw that now.

There was too much bickering, they were too different.

Two sides of the same coin? Riza would have scoffed if she wasn't still frozen in this revelation.

More like two magnets, repelling each other, never meeting. They worked together because there was no other choice, but each side had their own desires and direction, however they couldn't move unless the other moved too, ultimately never making contact.

"Mister Hughes!" a messenger burst into the room, interrupting the conversation and leaving Riza in full view of the two men. As soon as Roy spotted her, his face drained of colour, mouth parted in either shock or embarrassment, she wasn't sure. "Word has come from the South. He's here," the messenger breathed, his shoulders stiff in his fear.

Hughes sprang into action – not before shooting Roy a murderous look – approaching his messenger swiftly and asking all the relevant questions.

"How far out?" "How many men?" "Are the men prepared? Get word to Curtis. I want them readied within the hour."

"Riza –" Roy choked out, pulling her away from Hughes' constant questioning.

But she had heard enough of what he was too scared to say to her face.

Riza turned and walked away, her feet heavy, as she followed Hughes to war.

And possibly to her death.

A renewed energy settled in her veins, burning underneath her skin like the ache in her throat and in her eyes. She embraced it, like the way his fire had made her feel as they fought together.

As one.

She would end that bastard, Bradley. She would kill him for all he had done to her, her family, and her friends.

After all, now she had nothing left to lose.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: apologies for the really short chapter**

**the upside is there will be another one posted tomorrow!**

**hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"I didn't mean what I said," that same voice whispered from above Riza as she drifted in and out. "I don't want to break the oath. I just…" There was a sigh, followed by a choked sob.

Please, someone had to end this man's suffering. Riza tried to open her eyes so she could soothe him, but they wouldn't cooperate. Her limbs were like jelly, refusing to listen to her bidding, as they were jostled as she moved.

Just how was she moving? Riza still hadn't figured that out.

There was a pressure against the top of her head, the speaker's voice muffled as something tickled her scalp, shifting her hair.

"I want nothing of the sort. I just thought I had fucked up so badly you wouldn't want me around you anymore." A deep breath. "I snapped at you in the cave because the thought of losing you scares the hell out of me, and I couldn't live in a world without you in it." A humourless laugh was barked into the silence. "Although I've already lost you now and it's all my fault. God, when I saw you in that doorway after I spoke with Hughes, I almost fell onto my knees to beg for forgiveness. I was so stupid."

Hughes… That name rang a bell, stirred something in her mind, but what?

"If you hadn't turned on your heel and left, I would have." There was a short laugh, but nothing was funny. "My legs shook as I walked out of that room, watching your retreating form, but that was when I realised, I would follow you to the ends of this earth."

She had stopped moving now. The surface below her was heaving up and down, the sound of breathing close to her ear. Her fingers twitched in response, aching to place a hand on the speaker's shoulder in comfort.

"Even if you didn't want me anymore, I would still follow you. I love you so much that it physically pains me, and nothing will change that, no matter how much of an idiot I am." He sniffed. "If you don't want me around, that's fine. I hurt you and that's unforgiveable.

"But I will still follow you. I will follow you because you are my Queen, and always have been," the man whispered. "Please," he begged, more things dropping onto the top of her head as his voice broke. "Please, wake up. I need you… I need you to be okay."

* * *

The battle was bloody. The last Riza saw of Hughes and Armstrong they were cutting their way through Bradley's men like they were nothing. Riza had smiled grimly to herself, proud of how well they fought.

They weren't just fighting for themselves; they were fighting for her.

It made her uncomfortable, but it was what it was. She wasn't going to ask for a pause in the fighting to correct them all.

Her speech to the army she, Roy, Armstrong, and Hughes had raised over the last ten years had been short and sharp before they headed off to war, and Riza had been adamant that every man and woman in their company fought for themselves and their future.

"For the Queen of the Highlands!" someone had shouted, stunning her into shocked silence. The cry echoed through the hundreds gathered, listening to her words. She opened her mouth, tried to stop them, but Hughes ushered her down from the boulder, indicating her horse was ready, and so were they.

Before she climbed down her eyes met the person she had desperately sought out, yet at the same time, didn't want to.

He was watching her. That was it, just watching her. His mouth wasn't moving, echoing the cry that sounded throughout their forces.

Just watching.

With a final, resolute nod in his direction, she hopped down and climbed into the saddle, blinking away the burning tears in her eyes.

For Cairn Gorm.

For the Highlands.

For Alba and every single one of her people's future, Riza sent up a battle cry, fist in the air, which her army echoed.

They rode forward towards Bradley.

* * *

**perhaps it was better this was short because the anGST**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: i know i said there would be a new chapter on monday but i had something come up so coulnd't post when i wanted to : (**

**but, we here now! hope you enjoy this one!**

**p.s. sorry the angst doesn't let up at all and probs won't for a while lmao**

* * *

Riza opened her eyes. The world around her was dark, save for the moonlight illuminating the trees above her. Beneath her body was soft grass, slightly damp from the night air. The soil was soft, giving way beneath her fingers as she dug them in. She sighed in relief, finding comfort from the source of her magic.

"Riza," a voice managed to choke out, a hand coming to her cheek. Before she could comprehend what was happening, there was a pair of lips on her forehead, a shadow cast over her eyes, leaving her in the dark. The lips were gone, replaced by something harder, but the shadow remained. "You're awake," Roy breathed, the air caressing her skin.

She stiffened in his arms, and he sensed it, pulling away from her slightly.

The care and worry she saw in his eyes… This was not expected. Not after the week they had had.

Something nudged in her mind… Something about someone speaking, someone suffering… Her head was thumping so dismissed that thought for the moment.

"What happened?" she croaked. It was such an effort to talk. "Are you okay?" she asked, struggling to sit up. Roy eased her into a sitting position while Riza brought a hand to her head, clutching it as it still throbbed in pain. Riza's eyes squeezed shut, so she missed the way Roy's jaw clenched and he looked behind them. "Ugh, my head."

"Here." He offered her a waterskin. Riza took a small sip, her stomach lurching at the thought of ingesting anything. She felt completely drained on every level; physically, mentally, emotionally. If it wasn't for the hand on her back, Riza would have fallen backwards onto the forest floor. She leaned into his touch, not dwelling on the sensation too much.

"What happened?" she tried again, waiting for the world to stop spinning. "Did you do it?" There was a pause. It was so long, Riza finally cracked an eye open to look up at him. "Roy?"

"No."

Riza's world stopped spinning, but it stuttered violently to a stop. "What?" she whispered. No… That _couldn't _be. They couldn't have lost. She had thrown everything she had at Bradley then completely drained herself of all her strength to give Roy the ability to burn that bastard alive.

And it hadn't been enough?

"I… I couldn't do it."

"Why?" she demanded, voice sharp.

"He… I wasn't strong enough," he whispered, tone defeated.

Roy's magic… Even _with _her combined strength… It hadn't been enough.

_No_…

"We…" Riza was lost. She knew there was a chance they wouldn't get out of this alive. Everyone did. She hadn't voiced it for obvious reasons, but there was always an elephant in the room when they discussed the strategy against Bradley's army.

It had all been going so well… What had changed?

She was the long-lost queen of the Highlands. They would all look to her for guidance in this desperate time –

That was if there was any of her people left. If they had managed to hold their own against Bradley's men.

If she hadn't been able to, and Roy hadn't been able to…

Riza felt like she was going to vomit.

She didn't know what to do. This was her burden as the rightful heir of the North, but for the life of her, she couldn't think of anything. Her mind was blank, panicked.

"Take me to him," she whispered, a decision cementing its place in her mind.

Roy turned sharply towards her. "What?"

"Take me to Bradley." Riza begun to rise – with difficulty – from her position on the forest floor. A calm had washed over her, stilling the threatening panic. She knew what she must do for the sake of her people.

For people like Maes Hughes who were risking everything, bringing his family into danger, to help return her to the throne that had been stolen by Bradley. Like Alex Louis Armstrong who had lost everything thanks to her family, yet still fought by her side with such bravado and determination Riza knew it wasn't an act. For Roy, who had lost his parents because of her, but had remained by her side and threw away his own life because it had been dictated by his ancestors.

At least he had begun to realise how futile it was. At least he had tried to get out, to push her away.

That nudge in her mind returned, a small voice whispering that statement wasn't true. Again, her head throbbed as she tried to recall a memory.

Finally understanding, Riza admired his intelligence. He had fought with her, because he felt like he had no other choice. His family had drilled it into him from birth that he was to protect the Hawkeye line, but he hadn't made the decision himself. Seeing him interact with Gracia and Elicia Hughes, as well as Hughes' other friends, made Riza realise that was where he was meant to be, not following a long-thought dead Queen on a quest that would rob him of everything.

Riza admired his ability not to follow on blind faith alone.

Too bad it had come too late.

"Riza –"

"You are free to go," she fought out. It would hurt. It would hurt like _hell_ to push him away like this, but it was what he deserved, what they _all_ deserved. "I absolve our family's oath and free you from this burden. As the Queen of the Highlands I command you to listen to my words."

"_Riza –_!"

"Don't feel bad," she whispered, closing her eyes as the world still spun, or was it to shield her from the look on his face? "I understand now, don't worry. This has been futile from the beginning. I was just too blinded by "family honour" and "rightful positions" to see it." Riza chuckled to herself, angling her head so she looked up at the dark sky above them.

The stars were shining down on her, as if they were blessing her decision. Her ancestors twinkling and looking down from the afterlife, giving her the strength she needed to follow through with what she was born to do.

"I've been doomed from the start, but that doesn't mean I should drag the rest of you into this too." Finally, she turned to face her old friend. He was standing staring at her, eyes wide, mouth parted slightly in shock. The moonlight shone on his hair, bringing a hint of silver to his sleek, raven, locks. His eyes were bottomless pits, filled with an emotion that Riza didn't want to see.

Aside from that, he was looking at her like she was crazy, but terrified she was being serious.

"Sorry for bringing you so far into this mess my family created," she apologised, eyes glistening. Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Riza continued, meeting Roy's gaze head on. He deserved that much. "I'm sorry it lasted for so long."

"Stop, Riza, please! What are you talking about?"

"I know what I must do now, and I refuse to drag you or anyone else any further into it. It's me he wants. This is _my_ fight, and mine alone."

"No, it's not! What about your court? Who is going to help you rule once this is all over?"

Riza smiled at him, a sad smile, telling him all he needed to know. It had been whispered to her on the wind as she had been moved – it was _Roy_ who had moved her, Riza now realised, the information finally poking through the fog inside her head – planting the seed in her mind.

Something she had known all along but never admitted it to herself.

There was a reason the last rulers of the Highlands all met a tragic end.

And that was because this burden, this… _thing_ they had to protect – the land, the secret power it held, and the people that lived off it peacefully.

The rulers of the Highlands were born to sacrifice themselves in order for the land to thrive.

That was what the spell her grandfather had taught her truly meant.

* * *

The family home burned around them, the screams of the staff echoing through the halls as Riza stared, wide eyes and horrified at her parent's bodies lying sprawled across the table they had been eating at just moments ago.

Riza couldn't look away, couldn't move, couldn't _think_. The one thing that encompassed her whole entire being was her parents… lying _dead_.

"Riza," her grandfather, Walter Grumman, rasped from his chair beside her father. Riza jerked partly in relief, partly in surprise. Inhaling sharply, she turned towards him. She wanted to run, she wanted to throw herself into his arms, but she couldn't move faster than one shaky step at a time.

"You have to go," he urged earnestly, blood trickling out the side of his mouth. "Get _out_ of here. Get as far away as you can. We have allies in the north west. Go to them. They will help you. I promise."

"Grandpa," she whispered. "What…?"

"Bradley is going to kill you. That's why Roy's parents started the fire, to burn us all so there's nothing left, so Bradley won't find out that you're still alive."

Riza's eye widened and she swallowed the vomit that jumped up into her mouth.

"I can't," she whispered fearfully.

A bang pierced their conversation, the sound of a door handle banging against the wood of the wall, and Riza whirled around, wide eyed to face whoever was intruding on this massacre. Roy entered the room, face terrified, but came to a stop when he saw what had happened. His face paled after he froze. His father pushed him further in to the room, away from whatever harm existed outside the thick, oak doors that Riza had always admired and adored for their intricate designs. For years she had sat on the floor and sketched the patterns in her sketchbook with her pencils.

Those sketches were going to very quickly be turned to ash.

"Go, Roy! Get to the Hawk –" The order was cut off as Richard realised what had happened. "May the Gods have mercy on us all," he whispered, quickly shutting the door behind him, blocking out his flames.

"_Riza_," her grandfather urged, drawing her attention back to him. "This spell will help you when you need it most. It's… Well, it's awful, and I had hoped you would never, _ever_, have to learn of its properties, but the Gods have decided that for us. It's been passed down our family for generations, for when a time comes that we need to step up to protect the land and the people we love. Especially those we govern." He clasped her hands tightly and Riza blinked at him, not even wincing at the tight grip. "You will know the right time to use it – when all seems lost, when you feel like you have no other choice."

"Grandpa," she whimpered, tears falling down her cheeks. "Don't –"

"I love you, my little princess. So do your mother and father." Riza blanched at the mention of them, angling her body away from their corpses. He leaned forward and whispered the words in her ear, the words that would change her life forever, and help her sacrifice herself so that the continent and her kingdom won't fall into the wrong hands.

"Roy." The command entered the edge of Riza's consciousness as she listened to her grandfather before he passed on to the afterlife. "Take Riza into the basement. _Now_."

A hand gently, but firmly, grasped hers, trying to tug her away from her family.

Riza fought it.

"No!" she screamed, wrenching her hand out of Roy's.

"Riza," Richard urged softly. From her grandfather's still side she looked up, challenging the kindly man who had been like an uncle to her to remove her from her family. "I need you to do me a favour," he stated.

Riza faltered, eyes flicking towards her old friend as Roy edged closer. Riza sniffed and shifted, leaving her tears where they were. She didn't want to leave this room. Her father lay face down, eyes vacant as they stared at her grandfather. Those eyes had looked at her with such love, had always watched over her as she practiced magic, teaching her the way of the Hawkeye family that had been passed down for hundreds of years. Her mother hands were splayed above her head, arms stretched out across the dining table. Those hands had healed her wounds when Riza had been too clumsy or hadn't been properly paying attention when casting spells. Those hands had cupped her cheeks, giving her face a gentle squeeze when Riza had nurtured flowers to full bloom in moments, handing them over to her mother with a proud grin. She could still hear her mother thanking her for the gift, and the way her eyes would crinkle at the edges.

"I need you to go with Roy down the basement. There is a passageway out of the house that will take you to safety. I will join you shortly."

His voice was strained and a bang from outside cut him off.

"Dad?" Roy called quietly. They both took in the tense set of his shoulders, his defensive stance, the wobble in his voice he tried so hard to hide.

"_Go_," he barked. There was no arguing with him when he spoke like that, Riza knew that.

"Dad." Roy's voice sounded so small. "You're lying."

"Your mother is already there," Richard stated, ignoring the question.

"Dad –"

"Go, son!"

Roy grabbed her hand tightly, jaw locked, expression hard. She tried to fight him, but Roy was too strong. He had grown into his gangly frame, arms filling out as he reached his late teenage years. His chest and abdomen had hardened into muscle, his shoulders and back broadening. Riza had admired from afar many times, often thinking how his strong form would protect her, should she need it.

They had been friends for years, growing up together as their parents worked together. Her mother and father were King and Queen of the North, the Highlands – a much sought after position because of the power the land held – and were fair, just, and well loved by their subjects.

Now all that had turned to ash, just like her childhood home.

Even now, as she struggled against his tight grip pulling her to safety – away from her _family_ – that form was still protecting her. Even though it didn't feel like it. It felt like she was being ripped from the people she loved most and she wished Roy wouldn't.

Apparently, Roy was the one who had been assigned to protect her. It had been decided by their parents, like his mother and father now did – _had_ done – for Riza's parents.

_They had failed_.

That's why he was hauling her sobbing form down into the basement below.

Suddenly, a hand was over her mouth, muffling her surprised cry, an arm wrapped around her waist, pressing her tightly against something hard. She was pulled into a dark alcove – like one she had hid in for years in this house while playing hide and seek with Roy, Alex, and Olivier.

"Shh," Roy whispered into her ear. Riza stilled, no longer clawing at the hand over her mouth. A shiver ran down her spine as his lips brushed against her ear. "Be quiet."

Riza's eyes flicked from side to side, searching the hallway they were in. There was the sound of footsteps approaching swiftly.

"… she's dead. The husband's upstairs protecting the bodies."

"Bastard." The man spit on the floor. The stone… _Her_ stone. Riza surged forward, ready to _kill_ them, but Roy held steady.

"Stop," he hissed as loudly as he dared.

"Is her body still down there?" There was no reply from the other man, but Riza stopped struggling when she realised who they were talking about.

_Roy's mother._

"Good. Leave her there. She can burn with the rest of them." Roy twitched, but didn't react further. The two men ran past them and Riza caught a short glimpse. They were all in black, cowls covering their features completely. There was a strip of royal blue fabric covering their mouths, a signature uniform of a specific group, but Riza had no idea who.

Once they were gone, the hand dropped from Riza's mouth. She turned fearfully around to face him, scared of what she would see in his eyes. His jaw was set, teeth clenched hard. His eyes burned with such an intensity that Riza took a step back.

"Roy?" she whispered.

"Let's go," he ordered, grabbing her hand tightly.

But… his mother…

She tried to bring it up, but he just gripped her hand tighter, pulling her harder behind him.

There was no further mention of his mother or father.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: the angst train has no breaks so sorry about that i'm working on it (am i really though?)**

* * *

"Riza, stop! You can't go!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Riza stood back, not proud of the roots she had conjured form the ground to restrain him. They were expertly crafted, like always. He had stopped her before, protected her from herself many times, but this was something she had to do. She had to face Bradley once and for all. Roy couldn't stop her this time. She wouldn't let him sacrifice himself for her anymore.

For too long that had been happening.

No more.

"I… I just have one more question for you, before I go."

"Riza," he begged, arms sagging as he gave up the fight against her magic. "Don't do this," he whispered, voice breaking. A tear tracked down her cheek.

"I have to do this, please understand."

"You _don't_. That's the thing," he urged, body straining once again as he fought to try and get free. "That's why people like me, Hughes, and Armstrong, follow you. To _help_."

"If you help, you will die," she whispered. Taking a shaky breath, she moved closer. It killed her to do this to him, but he deserved so much better than she could give him. Whether he was still interested in following her or not, Riza wasn't sure. They were still in the same position they had been in since Riza overheard his conversation with Maes. "And I won't allow that.

"That question." She swallowed, trying to formulate her words properly. "Did you… Did you ever resent me… for taking you away from your parents?" Her voice was so small, Roy's face screwed up as he tried to hear her. Finally processing her words, his eyes widened, expression frantic as he strained even further.

"Never," he replied vehemently. "Believe me, I _never_ did. They did their job and then it was my turn."

"Only because you never had any other choice," Riza replied wistfully. "Now you do."

"Riza," Roy warned, sensing she was going to leave. He always was able to read her very well. "No, don't do this!"

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, hands flattening out, so her palms pointed towards the ground, as if expelling every bad thought and feeling from her body.

It was time.

"These vines will break when my energy is sapped or when… Well. When I'm gone."

"Riza!"

"Live a good life, Roy. _Do_ something with it, please. Don't waste it."

"_Riza!_" he cried, but she had already begun to walk away, every step feeling like a dagger in her chest. He begun to thrash to escape, but her roots were always strong.

She had learned from the best. Her mother and father made sure they were.

A few more tears fell down her face.

"Just know… Know that I appreciated everything you ever did for me. You sacrificed so much, but never needed to.

"Riza," he sobbed. "_Please_. Don't do this to me."

"Goodbye, Roy. I love you."

* * *

"This way," a disembodied voice hissed. Roy spun, turning Riza around with him. She didn't have the energy or the drive to care about anything anymore.

Her parents were dead.

Her grandfather was dead.

She had no living family left on this earth.

What that meant for this kingdom she was supposed to rule, Riza didn't know.

Although, judging by the way her home was being razed to the ground, the people behind it were going to take it by force.

Riza didn't care.

She just wanted her family back.

A single tear fell down her cheek, followed by a stream of others as Roy and that voice spoke to one another.

"Riza," Roy announced, both hands on her shoulders as he gave her a small shake. "Are you with me?"

Lazily, her eyes climbed up his form from the floor, settling on his face. No doubt she looked as desolate as she felt, that was why Roy's concerned expression changed into one of alarm.

"We need to get out of here, the house is lost. Alex can take us somewhere safe."

"No," she whispered, breath hitching as her shoulders begun to shudder.

"What?"

"I won't go," she replied, level of her voice rising. "I won't leave them!"

Roy tried to quieten her down. "Riza," he added gently. "They're already gone."

Her head shook from side to side vigorously, refusing to believe it. "No, stop it!" she sobbed. "They're _not_!"

She had seen them, seen their bodies, noted how lifeless they were.

And yet, her brain refused to believe it.

There was magic in this world surely _someone_ could bring her family back to her?!

The ground below them began to tremble. Riza knew because Roy tipped in front of her where she remained steady, rooted to the spot.

"Riza," Roy hissed, pulling her towards a darker part of the hallway near the kitchens, towards the door leading to the outside. "You need to be quiet, or they'll hear you."

"_Good_," she snarled. "I want them to. I want to _kill them_ for what they did to my family!"

The stone cracked beneath her feet, roots bursting forth and crawling over the floor of the basement. The stone continued to shift around her, but Riza was still. Roy looked down in alarm, his gaze shooting back up to Riza's when he realised she was losing control. Her magic was spilling forth with her emotions, threatening to tear the place apart.

Getting ready for revenge against those who had done this to her… To her _family_.

But Riza's words died in her throat. She blinked in surprise and tried to speak again, but nothing happened. She got angrier and angrier by the second.

"What did you do?" Roy whirled around and asked the darkness. Riza stopped her silent rage and peered into the darkness. An enormous figure stepped out from the gloom, towering over them both.

Alex Louis Armstrong.

"She was making too much noise and we need to leave, right now."

Riza took in his rich clothing, his slate grey suit and waistcoat covered in blood spatters. Her eyes widened as she took in her old friend. _What happened?_ She tried to ask but nothing happened.

"It's a simple enchantment," Alex elaborated, his voice solemn as he turned his piercing gaze towards her. "It will wear off soon, but we need to go."

Riza wanted to argue but couldn't. Backing up, she ran out of places to go as Alex reached for her, hoisting her up and over his shoulder. She kicked, she punched, but nothing stopped him.

The cold air bit into her skin as they exited the back door. The wind came down from the summit of the mountain, spreading over the plateau where her house was situated before continuing on its way down the loch below. It carried flurries of snow with it, the flakes wetting her skin along with her tears as she blinked them away.

In a silent scream, her face twisted with anguish and sorrow, Riza poured her emotions into her magic, causing roots to erupt from the ground below, towering high above them as they ran to escape the fate waiting them at her family's home. Dirt rained down from the sky, mingling with the snow and staining their faces, but the other two didn't comment, they just pressed forward to safety.

Roy ran by their side, face solemn and set, unchanging.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: from now on the chapters will run in order there won't be any return to the past in the second half of the chapter as the past part of the chapters have caught up with the present story**

**i hope that wasn't too confusing to read (if it was lmk!) i just wanted to try something different!**

* * *

Riza blocked out Roy's shouts behind her. Under usual circumstances, one snap of his fingers and his flames would rip those vines to shred, but Riza had made sure they would hold against fire. They were covered in dirt which would hold against the flames for long enough so she could get away.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she began to run through the trees, listening to Roy's angry and anguished cries.

"Don't _do_ this!"

She had to. He had sacrificed so much, had _suffered_ so much because of the Hawkeye family. He couldn't do it anymore. Riza wouldn't let him.

The one thing she regretted was not discovering what had happened while she had blacked out. All Roy had revealed was he "couldn't do it". What that meant, Riza didn't know. He couldn't destroy Bradley? He _had_ stopped him, but hadn't been able to stop the portal that the madman was intent on opening to bring demons from the Otherworld into theirs, further growing his army?

Only one way to find out.

Her tears had dried by the time she reached the crypt. Mismatched standing stones surrounded it and Riza could feel the magic energy emanating from said stones. Riza touched one gently, a thrumming underneath her fingertips. The Highlands were littered with stone circles like these. Her ancestors used them to amplify their magic power and it was a well-known and well-practiced technique, but now it was dead. Closing her eyes briefly she tried to pull on the power of the stones which was now amplified in the moonlight. There was a tug in her fingertips followed by a tingling sensation.

This was how she would win.

With renewed determination, Riza announced her presence by blasting the oak door of its hinges, her vines invading the hallway, fuelled by her own anger, as they searched for their targets. Screams echoed back at her as Riza strode forward to the main chamber down the stone steps.

It was time.

In the centre of the room Bradley stood with his back to her, hunched over the table the ancients had built and used to peacefully wield the power of the land.

Now, Bradley was using to violate that power and taint it with demonic will from the Otherworld.

"So, the prodigal Princess returns," Bradley purred, still hunched over the stone table.

Riza stopped at the bottom of the stairs, stance ready to fight.

Too long she had been running from this fight. Since he had invaded her home this confrontation had been a long time coming. It had been ten years since then and Riza had ten years' worth of anger behind her. Not just her own anger, but Alex's, Roy's, and her people's anger too.

Time to focus it where it belonged.

"Finally accepted your fate?" Bradley asked as he turned, raising an eyebrow.

Riza took in the state of him and felt oddly proud, despite how gruesome he looked. Roy's fire had obviously done a number on him, that's why Bradley was hunched over.

His face was burned but had been hastily healed with one of his healer's magic. The skin was warped and drooping in parts it shouldn't be. The left arm of his jacket and tunic had been burned to ash, some remnants burned into Bradley's skin. Red welts and blisters littered his skin, alongside a wound on his right, which Bradley covered with his own hand. The blood still poured through it though.

"Have _you_?" Riza bit back, giving him a once over.

Bradley chuckled. "Your lapdog did a number on me, I will admit, but this mortal body no longer suits me. I've been looking for new real estate." His eyes flashed dangerously. "I've finally found what I've been looking for."

"Too bad you won't get to use it."

While he had been talking Riza took stock of the room. Where the portal had initially been set up there was now ash. Roy _had_ done it_._ Stones lay in a heap around it, no longer in the appropriate shape to access the Otherworld and unleash demons into this one. Bradley was not the loved King of the Lowlands as he had thought and that's why he had dabbled into this area of magic. No one would fight for him willingly, so he bought mercenaries and enslaved demons to do his bidding for him.

The only issue was there was now another portal in the process of being built. It was hidden behind a vortex of strong winds, where two of Bradley's minions shifted stone to build it, oblivious to Riza's appearance. They were unaffected by the wind and worked with such a pace Riza would need to ensure this was quick.

Riza didn't move a muscle but there was a loud crack and her vines shot up in an instant, aiming straight for Bradley's heart. She flicked them towards him with just a thought, aiming right for his heart. Power thrummed through her veins with such an intensity, Riza almost jumped, startled. She had never felt power like this before. It made it clear why people nowadays didn't use the power of the stones. It felt like her head was going to explode with the swell of energy, and she had only replenished her stores.

This was magic power, pure and raw.

It was both terrifying and exhilarating.

Bradley's wind knocked one of the vines away but had no effect on the other four. He tried to dodge but the vines were too fast. He cried out as one skewered his arm in his weakened state. Flesh was pulled from bone as Riza watched on, expression cold and unchanging, as she unleashed the hell he was searching for back on him.

Wind was thrown back in her face, but it had no effect. By the time it reached her it had died to a breeze, ruffling her hair only slightly. Enraged, Bradley looked on. A battle cry left him as more wind was sent her way, picking up ancient glass bottles and large tomes from around the room. Again, it died down to nothing.

This continued, the battle of magic raging on around them. Bradley struggled, throwing wind at her with his hands but Riza had yet to move. She simply watched him try to best her, cold eyes studying his every move and making note of every weakness he showed.

But no matter how many times her vines pierced his flesh he just didn't _die_.

"This is useless girl!" he cried, breathing heavily, but laughing maniacally. His eyes were wide, crazed. "You might have the power, but nothing will best me."

That's when she saw it.

The red ring around his eyes.

Her vines paused as Bradley panted, realisation dawning on Riza.

He hadn't opened any portal here today, but he'd done it in the past. That red ring meant demons had infested his skin, fuelling his body with their energy.

He couldn't die.

Riza knew it had been coming, but now the moment was here, she really didn't want to leave this earth. She had to, for the sake of her land and her people. But one thought of Roy and her friends…

She didn't want to go.

"With this spell," she began to recite from memory, the words burned into her mind like the fire that had destroyed her home ten years ago. "I give myself to protect the people of this land from the menace terrorising it," she chanted, voice only trembling slightly.

"_Stop!_" an anguished cry replied. She smiled to herself, eyes remaining closed. The lump in her throat was making speaking difficult. She always knew Roy would make it out of there. At least she'd had enough time to get a head start.

"With my magic, I renounce your hold on this land, freeing it, it's people, and myself from your terror." There was another swell of magic power inside her. Blood rushed to her head, making her see stars for a second before it dissipated, like a long exhale. The energy pulsed out from her, knocking Bradley off his feet and piercing through his protective wind around the portal. Stones flew from their places, starting the two workers. They glanced up, fear on their faces. Without a second thought they abandoned their work and fled the room.

"With my magic," she whispered, reaching the climax of the spell. A tear tracked down her cheek, sorrow filling her that she wouldn't get to live the rest of her life with Roy, like they had promised each other over a decade ago, when they were just kids.

"_We'll be together forever, won't we?_" Roy had asked, uncertainty in his tone. Riza nudged his shoulder with a grin.

"_Of course, we will, dummy_."

"I sacrifice myself so that my people will be free, like my ancestors before me."

"_Riza!_"

Roy's scream was swallowed up by a deafening silence. It was like all the air and sound had been sucked out of the room and into Riza's mind. It ached, the pressure becoming too much for her to bear. Even behind closed eyes it felt like her vision was swimming. There was a warmth dripping from her nose, the blood leaving a tangy taste on her lips.

As soon as it had appeared in her mind, the spell was unleashed with a roar of power. There was a pulse in Riza's head as she fell to the floor. Bradley screamed but it was cut off suddenly, followed by a _thump_.

Briefly, Riza panicked. Her eyes opened but there was nothing to see, just pure white. A sense of calm washed over her, limbs becoming heavy and fatigued as she rested on the cool stone floor of the crypt. White hands made purely from light were grasping her arms and underneath her shoulders gently, lifting her from the floor. She could see their shapes through the white light, lifting her from the floor and raising her up and up, out of the crypt and into the sky, high above the Caledonian Pines.


	8. Chapter 8

"Riza?" she heard her mother speak softly in her ear. "Riza, darling. Don't wake up, just listen to what I have to say."

She obeyed the command, too exhausted to do so anyway.

"Listen, your time on this earth hasn't come to an end. There is still too much left for you to do. Alba is without a ruler and you need to return to return the land to her people."

Although she had been told not to, Riza tried desperately to open her eyes. Her _mother_ was talking to her. She wanted – no, _needed _ – to see her. A tear fell down her cheek as her brain wouldn't allow it, keeping her exhausted form closed off and unable to see the woman she had missed for the last ten years.

This… If her mother was speaking to her, this was the afterlife. The spell she had casted had worked and her mother stated Alba no longer had a ruler. Did that mean she had succeeded? Was Bradley dead? But… If this was the afterlife… She had died too. There was an ache in her chest at the thought she had left Roy alone down there, but there was nothing she could do now. He was free, they _all_ were. Riza had done that for them and she was so tired she just wanted to rest.

Yet, there was still a draw back down there.

Her mind and body were a large contradiction.

Her mother's voice chuckled. "That happens when you first arrive in the afterlife," she stated, reading Riza's mind. "You accept your fate, but you are drawn back to the people you love. It took years for that ache to lessen for me, but it has never disappeared. Even to this day, the pull is still strong. I am always drawn back to you, my darling, and while I cannot leave, I have watched every step of your journey and I am _so_ _proud_ of all that you have accomplished. You will be a strong ruler. I am sure of it."

"Mother," Riza manged to choke out.

"Shh," her mother hushed her soothingly. Riza jerked when there was the gentleness of her mother's touch on her forehead, stroking the skin before moving down to cup Riza's cheek. "It's all right. When you call upon us, we will always answer, just like you did with that spell against Bradley."

"Mother, please…"

"We're always with you," she added, voice growing faint. "I don't have much time left. My magic has depleted in this state and I was only able to call myself back for a short time. Seek out the stone circles like you did before entering the crypt and wait for us. We will come."

"Mother!" Riza's eyes flew open finally as she heaved a breath, blinding white greeting her. There was a hint of gold to the light, instantly filling Riza with warmth. Before she could dwell on it further, it begun to dim.

"I love you, Riza. Your father, grandfather, and I are so proud of you. I look forward to when we meet again back on earth."

The white faded to black and – against her will – Riza was drifting again.

Only to shoot, bolt upright, in a soft, warm bed.

Her chest heaved with her breath. Placing a hand over her heart, she tried to contain the organ as it felt like it was about to pound out of her chest.

She… She had seen the afterlife.

Her mother… _Seek out the stone circles like you did before entering the crypt and wait for us. We will come._

She just needed to find a stone circle and access its power then she would see them again.

It made sense. Their ancestors had drawn on the power of spirits and used the stones to both wield and amplify their power. It made sense they could communicate with the dead.

Calming her racing mind, Riza forced it to stop and take stock of where she was. Not recognising the room, she cautiously quietened her breathing and listened. There was no sound around her, just the gently whistle of the wind from beyond the window. Glancing out, Riza saw the Inner Sound stretching towards Skye.

Hughes' house.

Gingerly, she removed the duvet cover from her form but even that felt like a dead weight. She was spent, once more, her feet aching as they met the hardwood floors. The plush, decorated rug protected her somewhat, but the shooting pain in her heels and in the balls of her feet remained.

The forest stretched out towards the sea before them. The moon was high in the sky, her ancestors twinkling in the sky above. She remembered thinking that before she left Roy…

What had happened in that crypt?

If she had been to the afterlife, then she had died in that crypt. Her mother had sent her back because Alba no longer had a ruler and there was unfinished business here in the kingdoms, apparently.

Her stomach clenched painfully when she thought that Roy might have died in there too.

The door opened and Riza turned, mindful not to do it too quickly. If she did, Riza thought she might keel over.

"Riza…" Hughes announced, his voice full of wonder and relief. He placed the tray of food down on the low table that had been moved next to her bed. An armchair sat next to it for anyone who wished to visit her bedside.

_Had_ anyone visited her? Riza doubted it.

"You're… You're…" Slowing to stop before her, Hughes simply stared.

"Hughes," she greeted, taking in the old marks on his face. Old wounds. There was a healed cut on his cheek and one on his forehead, right above his right eyebrow, only faint scars left. There were no other visible injuries on him. His arms and legs were covered with casual clothes – not armour or riding gear – so she couldn't tell if he had been injured in the fight anywhere else.

"What happened?" she finally managed to get out. He was still mute, staring at her in disbelief.

That seemed to snap him out of it. He closed the remainder of the distance, pulling her in to a fierce hug. Glad for the comfort, Riza clutched him close, burying her face in his chest.

"You're okay," he breathed. "Here," he ushered, voice thick, as he helped her limp back over to the bed. "Rest, please." He must have noticed the tremble in her limbs as he held her.

"What happened?" she repeated, desperate to find out the result of the battle and if everyone was all right.

_If Roy had made it out alive_.

"You killed Bradley. You used that spell to banish the demon's energy from him. That was what was keeping him alive, Roy said. He saw the demons leaving his body as they burned in the light of the spell."

"And is he…?"

"He's not here." Riza's sharp intake of breath was coupled with the knot tightening in her stomach and a shooting pain in her chest. Seeing her worry, Hughes quickly backpedalled. "No, he's fine! He's all right!"

"What?" she whispered.

"Roy is alive," Hughes reassured her, a warm smile on his face. "He pulled you out of the rubble. He was in a bad way for a time – the crypt collapsed on top of you both – but he's all right now."

"A… A bad way? For a time?" Riza asked, confused.

Hughes nodded, finally looking slightly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "Yes. Riza, you've been out of it for about two months."

Her brain struggled to comprehend that.

"What?"

Hughes nodded. "For sixty-five days."

"What…" _Sixty-five_ days. "What's been happening since then? Are the people okay?"

"Don't worry," he shushed her. "Everything's all right. The people know what happened – and are extremely grateful to you, by the way – and we've been organising efforts to redistribute money and supplies so that those who need it most have access. Bradley almost sucked the North dry to move its resources to the South, but I'm sure you already knew that.

"They have been holding vigils outside ever since the battle to pray for your recovery." Riza stared at him, unable to comprehend what she was hearing.

"This whole time?"

Hughes nodded with a wide smile. "Everyone knows what you did for them, and they're all extremely grateful. They sing songs of the warrior queen who banished the evil from Alba, saving it's people."

Riza felt tears well in her eyes.

Her people…

"Roy headed back to Cairn Gorm to assess the damage to your home – and the Highlands' throne." He'd returned to her home? "I will send word to the south east immediately of your condition. He has been writing every day for a report."

Her stomach fluttered, but then she remembered everything that had transpired between them. It clenched uncomfortably.

"He'll be overjoyed to hear that you're awake," Hughes reassured her, catching the change in her demeanour.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Oh, I am," he retorted. "You haven't been here. You haven't watched himself nearly kill himself to pull you out of the rubble. You haven't seen him pace as he chews on his thumb worriedly while the Healers assess your condition. The boy has more grey hairs now than he ever had before from the stress and worry."

"He…"

Hughes nodded. "He's been waiting impatiently on you waking up. That's why he returned to your family's home."

"Why?" Riza asked, still confused.

Hughes shrugged. "Because he couldn't stand around and watch you in the state you were in? He couldn't be idle and waiting? It could be either, but probably both. Seeing you so unresponsive for so long…" Hughes trailed off before heaving a deep sigh. "It wore us down. We never lost hope because you were alive, but… It hit Roy. Hard. He was charged with protecting you and he felt he let you down."

"No, that's not it, I freed him from it –"

"A bond like that can't be broken with words," Hughes interjecting, voice gently. "Riza, he loves you, so much. It almost killed him to watch you perform that spell, thinking he'd failed you. You can push us away to try and keep us safe but it's our job, our duty, and our _choice_ to stand with you." Hughes paused, giving her a chance to process his words. "You are our Queen and no amount of pushing is going to keep us at bay. We're your court now and are charged with advising you, so can I just say, your majesty? That decision is bullshit."

Riza's mouth parted in shock.

Of course, every word Hughes said was right.

He broke into a grin and Riza followed suit, their laughter filling the room.

"Hughes?" Alex asked in concern, poking his head around the door. Riza smiled brightly at him, eyes widening when he saw who Hughes was talking to. "You… You're…" The door swung open, Alex's hand outstretched at the level the door handle was at, as if he was still holding it.

"Hello, Alex," she greeted, tone amused. She was so happy to see him.

"Your Majesty," he stated in a daze, stumbling into the room. He fell to his knees before her, both his hands clutching hers with such gentle care. His tears were falling thick and fast and Riza felt her own stir. "You're okay," he breathed.

"I am," she reassured him. "And please, it's Riza."

Alex boomed out a laugh as he cried, pulling her into a crushing hug. She squeaked as her tender body reacted to his fierce embrace. Eventually Hughes had to peel him off her.

* * *

"Your Majesty," Hughes announced. "You have some visitors at the main gate."

"Thank you, Maes. And it's Riza," she reminded him.

Hughes bowed and when he rose Riza caught the amused glint in his eye. "As you wish, Your Majesty," he winked.

"I shall escort you, Riza," Alex offered.

"Thank you, I would very much like that."

Anticipation stirred in her stomach at who could possibly arriving. Apparently, people were arriving from all over the country and that made her nervous. However, there was only one arrival she so desperately wished to be announced, but that would take slightly longer.

As soon as Hughes had sent word to Cairn Gorm, one of the men Roy was currently working with replied immediately stating he had already begun to the ride back to Torridon.

Now all she had to do was wait. She could only imagine his worry when she didn't wake up right away, the endless nights waiting. If it'd been the other way around, Riza knew she would have felt the same way too. Even being apart now, when her future stretched out ahead of her unplanned for the first time in her life, left her anxious.

They needed to talk. She knew that much.

Alex and Riza chatted as they walked so when they approached the front gate Riza wasn't entirely paying attention to who was in front of her.

"May I present to you the people of Orkney who have been travelling for the last month in anticipation of meeting Alba's one true Queen. Lord Miles, Lady Armstrong, and General Buccaneer," Hughes announced.

Riza's brow furrowed. Armstrong? But… he was here, right next to her.

How Riza had missed the woman with a resemblance to Alex, she didn't know.

Alex stood frozen and mute beside her.

"Your Majesty," Lord Miles bowed. Lady Armstrong and General Buccaneer followed suit, echoing the same greeting. "We were overjoyed to hear you had awoken after the battle."

"Yes," Lady Armstrong interjected, but her eyes weren't on the Queen. Instead, she was staring at her brother who was currently tearing up. His sister, who he had thought was dead for over a decade, was now standing before him, very much alive. "Your Majesty, we have arrived to formally plead our loyalty to you."

Alex sniffed – rather loudly – but held himself together while the conversation continued.

"Thank you, it means the world to me to hear you say that," Riza replied. She spared a glance at her old friend. "Although I think there's a more pressing matter to attend to with your arrival."

Alex surged forward. His sister, Olivier, stepped forward, wonder on her face. Riza smiled as she watched their reunion and turned away to give them a moment of privacy. She beckoned Lord Miles and General Buccaneer forward.

"Maes, is the drawing room free for us to sit and have a conversation?"

"Of course, I'll see to it right away."

"Thank you. Lord Miles, General Buccaneer, would you do me the honour of joining me and my court in the drawing room for some tea?"

"It would be an honour," Lord Miles replied. She smiled brightly at them, ushering them inside to begin talks that would become her everyday task. Better to start now, she supposed. Time to begin the job she had been sent back form the afterlife to do.

She glanced behind her, seeing Olivier and Alex in an embrace. A grin appeared on her face, happy for her old friend. She was glad that out of all the heartache that had followed him over the past ten years, he'd found a happy ending.

Over the past week she'd spent here with the majority of her court, they'd helped her change her view on everything that had befallen them.

It wasn't her fault.

It was a collection of unfortunate and harrowing circumstances that were completely out of her control. Hughes coined that one and both he and Alex had spent the rest of the week trying to convince her of that after she discussed everything that had happened.

They were particularly amazed she had seen the afterlife and returned to tell the tale.

Speaking of, Riza had yet to get out into the world to seek out a stone circle. She desperately longed to, but her strength hadn't yet returned to her. She could walk normally and without assistance now, however after only a couple of hours she was exhausted. Time obviously passed differently in the spirit world than it did in this one, so her time of rest had sapped her energy. It was still unclear to Riza just how bad her condition was when Roy pulled her from the rubble of the crypt – they had been deep underground and apparently her magic had cause the building to implode, dropping the rubble on top of the room where Bradley had tried to open the portal. That was probably why she was so lethargic even to this day.

"Riza?" she heard Alex ask, drawing her attention away from the gates and the green fields beyond, holding the promise that her family was out there, waiting for her. She turned, finding a rather emotional Alex and Olivier both smiling at her. "Are you ready to go inside?"

"Yes," she smiled.

* * *

**finally a break from the angst uwu**

**hmm... what could possibly happen next i wonder?**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: ****sooooo here's a long chapter to make up for the angst : )**

**hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Roy dismounted as his horse was still slowing to a trot, landing effortlessly in his haste. He saw Hughes standing at the front door of his house, head bent and looking at a piece of parchment with somebody Roy had never seen before. His dark skin and shocking white hair were in stark contrast to everyone around him. A mammoth of a man approached them both up the stairs, beginning a new conversation.

"Hughes!" he called as he ran to his friend.

Looking up, Hughes' eyes searched for whoever called his name. Upon spotting Roy his face lit up and he grinned, giving him a wave. He excused himself from his companions, meeting Roy halfway at the bottom of the stairs.

"Roy," he greeted warmly, pulling his friend into a hug.

"Riza, is she –"

Hughes laughed, slapping him on the back amicably. "Rest easy, friend. She's fine."

Roy heaved a sigh of relief, feeling his knees shake. It had taken him three weeks to reach Torridon because of the snowstorms that had blown in across the country. Travel was treacherous but he pushed through. He had to.

He'd left his Queen in the more than capable hands of her court to return to her home in an effort to restore the throne for her when she awoke. It'd been torture to sit by her bedside every hour of the day, unaware of when she would wake. Hughes had insisted he do something with his time – after all, Riza had put herself in this situation so that they could all continue living – but Roy was loath to leave her.

When Armstrong brought up the possibility of them returning to Cairn Gorm Hughes brought up the bright idea that someone should return and evaluate the damage to the throne, trying to restore it while their Queen recovered. His pointed look in Roy's direction told him who he – and Armstrong – thought was the perfect person for the job.

Leaving had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done – it was right up there with pulling her limp and unbreathing body out of the rubble and through what remained of the crypt. He'd never felt terror – _true _terror – like that before in his life.

That whole day had gone from one horror to the other.

In his dreams he could still feel Riza's vines restraining him as she ran off to face Bradley and when he broke out, he hadn't arrived in time to help her. Those dead eyes just stared back at him.

"Okay," Roy breathed in disbelief, eyes unseeing as he turned to look at the ground, processing the fact that _she was okay_. "Okay," he repeated, gearing himself up for their reunion. "Where is she? Can I see her?"

"She's out riding right now," Hughes explained. "She'll be back soon. Actually," he added, looking beyond Roy's head.

"What?" he asked, turning in place.

To see his Queen riding back through the main gate, a kind smile on her face as she greeted the guards, was nothing short of breath-taking. The man riding next to her said something and she laughed – loudly. Her head tipped back, hair falling down her back. The other thing he noticed was her hair was down. It wasn't up in a bun or a ponytail, it hung loose, catching the breeze.

_She_ was breath-taking.

The last time Roy had seen her, she had been unconscious and bloody. Now she was on her feet, riding a horse, _smiling and wholly alive_.

Roy felt his knees wobble at the sight.

She froze when their eyes locked. Roy took a few shaky steps forwards before dropping onto one knee, bowing his head before his Queen and the woman she had sworn to protect since he was a boy.

"My Queen," he greeted, voice thick with emotion. The activity in the courtyard had died down as they looked on. He felt tears cloud his vision so he closed them, hoping they wouldn't fall down his cheeks. Riza dismounted her horse, thanking the stable hand for taking the reins and her horse.

"Roy?" He felt a calm wash over him as she said his name. She was alive. She was _safe_. "Rise." He obeyed, lifting his head so his eyes could lock on her face. He inhaled sharply at the sight of her.

Her hair was windswept, and her cheeks were flushed – aftereffects of her ride. She was truly radiant and looking every part the Queen she was.

For the first time in a long time Riza looked happy.

She studied him briefly, head cocking ever so slightly. He knew he looked bad. He hadn't slept much while he was here waiting for her to wake up and that had carried over to his time at Cairn Gorm. Nightmares plagued him as he worried for his Queen's safety and with the weather turning bad news travelled slowly.

It had been three months since the battle with Bradley and those three months had taken their toll on his wellbeing.

Hands rose to his face, her skin ghosting over his. His breath shuddered as his eyes fluttered closed. She caressed under his eyes with her thumbs, as if trying to remove the dark circles that had plagued him for the last three months.

The hands slid off his face and down to his shoulders before coming to rest upon his chest, one hand completely covering his heart. It thudded under his skin as Riza touched him in this way. Goose flesh erupted on his skin, from the top of his head right down to his toes.

"_Never_ bow to me," she whispered, but it sounded like a shout in the now silent courtyard.

Roy stiffened and bowed his head in apology. "Of course, Your Maj –"

"Roy?" she cut him off, angling her own head so she could look at his partially hidden face. He looked up expectantly. "It's Riza. Always has been, always will be."

He was rooted to the spot but before he could reply a messenger approached his Queen from behind. Roy's eyes caught him running forwards eyes wide and excited.

"Your Majesty," the messenger announced, bowing low. Riza turned, leaving Roy to face her back. "I apologise for interrupting, but –"

"Your Majesty!" another called, approaching from their right.

Roy watched as her shoulders slumped in defeat before whirling back around to face him. A sympathetic smile on her face, she offered her apologies.

"Sorry." Roy was surprised when she grasped his hand, giving his fingers a squeeze. "I'll speak to you later?" Her expression was hopeful, and Roy found himself unable to deny her of her request. Of course, he wouldn't have turned her down anyway.

"Of course," he nodded, bowing his head. She walked away with the messengers. Roy managed to overhear some of their conversation, but not for long before Hughes called him away.

"I have found what you were searching for," the first one stated, tone excited. "You told me to pass on the information to you no matter the time."

Curious, Roy wondered what exactly it was she was searching for. Riza perked, the speed of her gait quickening as she asked her questions of "where is it?" and "how far from here?"

Trying not to feel too crestfallen, Roy trudged up to meet his old friend.

"She's been working on something in secret," Hughes explained as they walked the halls of his home. "Won't tell anyone about it. It's to be a surprise." Roy nodded, mute.

The reunion was short lived, but it had happened and that was what had mattered. He had hoped for something a little more, but obviously it wasn't meant to be.

In truth he had _no_ idea where this left the two of them. Not that he held a grudge against it, but Riza _had_ restrained him while she ran off to fight Bradley. It was done either to protect him or keep him out of the way because she knew he would have fought to stop her from sacrificing herself.

"_Goodbye, Roy. I love you."_

Those words had haunted him for the last three months. They rang out like a horn in his dreams, his mind torturing Roy when he thought all was lost and Riza wouldn't ever return to them.

Of course, he loved her. There was no question. He'd been in love with her since they were teenagers.

Roy had still tried to stop Riza's spell. If he was going to die in that godforsaken place, then his last act would be doing what he'd sworn to do – protect her life to the best of her ability. Nothing dared touch that brilliant light though. Roy had tried but his flames dissipated as soon as they got close.

He'd watched as those ethereal hands reach for her body as the crypt collapsed. Roy had heard the stories. She was being taken to the afterlife and Roy wouldn't – couldn't – allow that. They had come too far, suffered too much, for her to die here in this crypt. Bradley was gone but it wasn't fair that Riza should have to give up her life in order to protect the land. As Roy had dived for her unconscious form, he covered her body with his, eyes squeezed closed against the light piercing into his skull, even through his closed lids.

He fought against the pain because he fought for her. For them.

The rubble fell and he blacked out. When he awoke his body ached all over from being struck. Once back at Torridon he'd examined the damage, finding the majority of his skin black and blue. He'd shifted the rubble himself and pulled her to the hidden escape passageway that all the old crypts had to use in times of strife.

Roy had felt so terrified he'd forgotten how to breathe.

"_No, no, no_," he'd sobbed, cradling her unconscious and unbreathing body against his. Even against his best efforts those spirits had taken Riza's to the afterlife and he'd been left behind with just her shell.

She was gone.

An anguished yell had filled the silent forest, lifting right up into the sky where his ancestors were watching down on him.

He'd looked back down at her face, face crumpling at the sight of it. She was perfect. Not a mark or a scratch on her.

She'd sacrificed herself to save the kingdom and its people from the eternal terror of King Bradley. But at what cost? Her own life, one Roy had vowed to protect, and he'd failed.

The crushing weight of that realisation was adding to his inability to breathe. Both Riza's and his own parents had put their faith in him to keep her safe and protect her from harm. She was the Queen of the Highlands, for goodness sake. She was the woman he loved. She was his friend.

And he couldn't help her.

He was so useless.

A shaking hand had brushed over the skin of her face, taking in every detail. His grip remained strong, so even when Hughes arrived – stopping dead in front of them once he realised just how much Roy had fucked up – Roy wouldn't let her go.

"_Roy_," Hughes had commanded, voice strained, but he barely heard his friend. All he could hear in his mind was his failures.

_Failed to keep her safe._

_Failed to protect Alba._

_Failed to help her when she needed it most._

"_Roy_." His command was sharper now. Hughes reached forward for Riza, but Roy recoiled, almost baring his teeth and hissing at his old friend as he tried to pry her body away from his hold. "_We need to get out of here. Bradley's men are closing in_ –"

"_I don't care_," Roy had whispered.

"_You should!_" Hughes hissed. "_We can still save her –"_

"_Don't do this, Hughes, please,"_ was Roy's broken reply. "_She's – she's gone. Away to the afterlife. I saw it myself –"_ He'd been unable to continue, his head bowing to press his forehead against Riza's. His tears fell on her skin, but it didn't matter anymore.

She had left for the afterlife and wouldn't be coming back.

Hughes had reached for Riza again, ignoring Roy's hold on her as he struggled to pull away. This time he snarled, surprising himself.

"_Be _quiet_ you fool_," Hughes hissed, placing a gentle grip on his Queen's shoulder, but didn't pull her away from Roy. "_Do you want to die_?"

"_I don't _care_! She's dead. I've failed. What does it matter whether I live or die now?_"

"_Riza Hawkeye gave her _life_ so that Alba's people would be free and could live in. Don't you _dare_ waste her gift to you like this_."

"I _was the one who was supposed to die!_" Roy shouted back. "_She was supposed to live. She's the Queen and you all need her._" His voice lowered to barely above a whisper. He bowed his head again, tears starting anew. Roy didn't even notice the shield spell Hughes had cast to conceal them from the approaching army. "_The world doesn't need a useless soldier_," Roy sobbed.

"_Roy?_" He looked up, seeing a sympathetic look on Hughes' face. "_I'm truly sorry, but I need to help Riza. This is for your own good_."

His eyes had widened as Hughes waved a hand in front of Roy's face. He felt his hands go slack on Riza's body and his world begun to darken. One last thought entered his mind as he fell unconscious.

_Bastard_.

When he came to, Roy was in a bed at Hughes' home. He'd almost tore the place apart in his grief, looking for Riza. Hughes had to use his sleeping spell again. Roy wasn't proud of it. Eventually he was level-headed enough, managing to break free from his sorrow for a second, to allow Hughes to explain what had happened.

Riza was back. She was breathing and alive, but she needed time to wake up.

It had taken two months.

The longest and worst months of Roy's life.

Roy's barely conscious ruminations were interrupted by a messenger announcing his presence. He'd showered after his travels and had been so exhausted, he'd sat in the lounge for a brief moment's rest, only to close his eyes and fall into a deep slumber. When he opened them, it was hours later. The fire was still roaring however the winter sun was now setting. It turned the sea outside gold as it fell in the sky.

"The Queen has requested your presence."

Rubbing his face and his eyes to try and remove the effects of sleep, Roy nodded and asked the man to lead the way. What confused him though, was they were heading for the main gate and not a room inside Hughes' home.

"Where is the Queen?" he asked, unable to leave it a mystery any longer.

"She's not far from here, My Lord, about a half hour ride through the forest."

"Excuse me?" Roy asked, confused and alarmed. _Why_ was she out there? Hughes had told him she was working on something alone. Was she out there _alone_?

"Apologies, My Lord, for not being clear. She's in the forest and asked not to be disturbed. I was summoned by our Queen to a clearing where she met me, eager to pass on a message to yourself that she had something to show you."

What could she possibly want to show him out there?

"Follow the path of the valley," he instructed, pointing north into the forest. "It will open up at a river which you should follow, heading north east. When the trees begin to shroud the land again there is a clearing a few hundred metres upstream. She will meet you there."

Roy nodded and followed his instructions, too curious and worried about her safety to pay attention to the gorgeous scenery surrounding him. The forest was quiet, the branches blocking out light and sound from outside of it. Roy used his magic to provide light and warmth in the biting winter wind. The valley opened up and so did the trees, giving him a clear view of the expanse of snowy moorland covering the land. In the distance tall, snow-capped, mountains jutted out of the ground, towering high into the clouds, the wet, exposed, rock glinting in the fast fading sunlight.

This area had always fascinated him. Around the base of the mountains the land was completely flat. No rolling hills to obscure the view, just moorland and exposed rock. Then, all of a sudden, a mountain erupted from the ground and towered above. As he headed in-land the elevation of the land rose and there were more, steeper, hills to be found.

Sure enough, Roy found Riza waiting for him with a bright smile on her face.

He hopped down, his exhausted legs protesting at the impact of hitting the ground. Unable to contain himself he left his horse without securing it, eyes completely fixated on the woman before him.

His charge, his friend, his Queen.

The urge to bow almost overtook him, when he remembered her command from earlier.

"_Never bow to me._"

"_It's Riza. Always has been, always will be._"

After rushing to meet her he stopped short, staring at the woman who owned his heart. She watched him expectantly, lips parted slightly in anticipation. He felt breathless as he studied her, drinking in the sight of her.

_Alive_.

"Riza…" he breathed. A hand rose towards her face, but he stopped himself, dropping it, finally realising what he was doing. A soft smile graced her features and she stepped forward.

This meeting was much different from their previous one in the courtyard.

Riza lifted one of her own hands to his face to skim over the old wound on his face. It had long healed but there was a faint scar on his cheekbone running from below the corner of his eye to just shy of his nose.

"How did this happen?" she asked, voice soft as her brow furrowed in concern.

"A piece of debris fell on me in the crypt."

Her hand fell to her side. "_Fell_ on you?"

Roy nodded. "I wasn't going to leave you there to die, Riza. You must know that by now."

There was a quiet huff of disapproval. "I told you to _go_ -"

"I'm going to stop you right there," he interrupted, feeling that familiar feeling of frustration when he argued over these inane things because they were both as stubborn as each other. "_I wasn't going to leave you_," he repeated, stressing each word for emphasis. His voice grew quiet, closing Riza's mouth as she opened it to argue her point. "I couldn't. I'd never forgive myself if I did."

She eyed him critically for a moment and remained as steadfast as his claim.

"_Until my dying breath_," he whispered, uttering part of the oath he'd taken all those years ago as a teenager.

"Thank you," she breathed, cupping his cheek once more. Roy watched as her argument appeared to have visibly left her body. Her shoulders sagged and she smiled, suddenly looking very tired. "Maes told me what you did. Thank you for saving my life."

"Just doing my job, Your Majesty," he quipped but there was a small smile on his face, indicating his jest. Tentatively he lifted his own hand to cover hers, giving it a quick squeeze.

"When I woke up Maes told me what happened." His stomach tightened. "He told me you "almost killed yourself" trying to save me. Why?"

It was an obvious answer, but the expectant look on her face told Roy that she was curious whether he'd admit it or not.

Better late than never.

"Because it was more than just my job," Roy began. His hand gently removed Riza's from his face, but he kept a tight grip, fingers entwined by their sides. "It was more than duty." Riza's lips parted in anticipation, her small intake of breath a clear indication that what she'd thought was true. "And, because I've loved you since I was a teenager and couldn't bear the thought of leaving not only my Queen and my best friend, but the only person on this earth who owns my heart to die in that damned place."

Riza stepped forward, cupping his face in both her hands to draw his face to hers, kissing him. Roy responded in kind, wrapping both arms around her body and pulling her flush against his. Her back arched and the grip on his face slackened, moving to his shoulders then around the back of his neck.

"I love you too, my King."

Roy's eyes popped open in surprise. His expression softened and he stole another kiss. Once apart, he rested his forehead against hers, the two basking in the other's presence.

Finally, at peace.

Finally, happy.

* * *

"There's something I want to show you," Riza whispered. They'd moved from standing in the clearing to sitting, huddled together, on a chair of roots Riza had conjured from the ground. Roy had built a fire around them as he explained everything he'd gone through while she was unconscious. His magic kept them warm while hers provided comfort. A perfectly matched pair.

Two sides of the same coin, Roy had often thought.

"Lead the way, my Queen."

She stood and took his hand, the softest and most beautiful smile on her face. The last hour or so had been emotionally charged and yet she still stood before him with a smile.

They walked in silence, hand in hand, through the Caledonian pines. Roy was simply happy to have been given this second chance. He still didn't understand how Riza had returned to them and he was almost too afraid to ask. She hadn't brought it up and Roy didn't want to pry.

All he knew was she'd definitely seen the other side. What that entailed, Roy was unsure.

They came upon another clearing in the pines. Inside it was a circle of stones. Confused, Roy turned to Riza with a questioning look.

"After I cast that spell I was taken to the afterlife," Riza began. "I spoke to my mother." Her eyes flicked to his and a smile broke out on her face as she entered the circle, fingers brushing across the top of each stone as she slowly walked around it. "From the look on your face, you think I'm crazy."

"Never," Roy replied vehemently. "Just mildly confused about how that's possible. I know it is, I saw –" He tripped over his own words. Speaking about this so casually was something he was not ready for, however he needed to get it out there. It would only do Roy good if he _did_ talk about it and face his nightmares. "I saw your soul being taken to the afterlife. I watched it happen, so it's entirely possible. I'm just unsure of the how."

"I'm sorry you had to see that," she admitted sadly, gaze dropping as she stopped in front of the stone directly opposite from him. Her fingers drew continuous circles on the surface as she continued to speak. "I didn't want to put you through that – hell, I didn't want to _go_ through it – but I didn't see any other option." Riza took a deep breath, shoulders lifting and falling noticeably. "Anyway, I hope this makes up for it."

Roy felt a pulse of energy from within the circle. A faint glow begun to emanate from the centre. The light formed a barrier that was about head height, a small breeze suddenly appearing and tugging at his hair.

Then he realised it was the same light from the crypt, when Riza sacrificed herself to end Bradley.

"Riza, _no_!" he yelled in a panic, recognising those familiar hands of light. _No, no, no, this couldn't happen again!_

He lunged for her arm, drawing her back from the circle and breaking it. Pulling her body against his, Roy angled them both so he was between both Riza and the circle. She wasn't going back to the afterlife. Roy wouldn't let her.

"Roy? Roy! It's okay," she stated, placing her hands on his face to drag his attention back to her. "It's all right. I promise. This is a good thing."

"I'm not letting you go back there," he snarled. His grip on her tightened and he turned further, shielding Riza completely from the golden light of the circle. "Don't ask me to watch that happen again."

"Roy!" His head snapped round at her insistent cry. "Honestly, it's fine. Here, come with me."

He kept a tight hold on her hand, eyes drifting cautiously as she entered the circle with him in tow. His distrust was soon replaced as a surge of energy filled his body, giving way to disbelief and mild panic.

"What… What is this?" he asked fearfully. It was magic power, but he'd never felt anything like this before. It pulsed through his veins and filled his entire body. The power was overwhelming.

"You'll see," she replied cryptically with a secretive grin.

Roy's grip on her hand tightened as the power surged even further, filling his head so it pounded in time with his heartbeat. The light turned blinding and Roy's eyes closed in voluntarily. Lifting his hands to his head, he clutched it as it throbbed, letting out a strangled cry as he fell to his knees.

"Roy?" Riza called.

His eyes popped open, realising the pain was gone. His head lifted, beginning to turn to face Riza but something else caught his eye.

There, in the middle of the circle, were two spirits smiling down at him.

"Mother?" he asked, aghast. "Father?"

"Hello, son," his father greeted him. There were tears in the spirits eyes. Riza watched on with a grin, but for once in his life Roy wasn't paying attention to her. He only had eyes for his parents.

"What? How?" he babbled as he jumped to his feet.

"The Princess brought us back," his mother explained, a tear falling down her cheek.

"We're unsure how much time we have, but we're so proud of you, son," his father stated, wiping away a tear.

Roy felt his smile falter and his stomach drop.

"You shouldn't be," he replied, the excitement dying in his voice.

"What do you mean, Roy?"

"I failed you. I failed in my task," he forced out around the lump in his throat.

"You did nothing of the sort," his mother replied. Her hand reached out to cup his cheek. Roy gasped as he felt – actually _felt_ – his mother's hand on his face, a touch he'd been craving for ten years. He let out a shaky breath and a laugh of amazement. "You didn't fail, my son. Princess Riza is alive, is she not?"

"Yes, but –"

"Son," his father interrupted. "It was a large burden we placed on you so young, and I apologise for that, however we didn't have a choice. We knew we were going to die, and you had to step up. That was the biggest regret of my life, leaving you to fight this without our guidance."

"Father…"

"However," his mother interrupted, placing her other hand on his face. Roy stared into the face he'd only seen in his dreams lately. As she spoke, he committed every detail to memory. As time had dragged on Roy had panicked as he realised her image was fading in his mind's eye. That had terrified him. Now, he was desperate not to forget a thing. "You did a fantastic job and we're both _so_ proud."

"Mother," he bubbled, face scrunching up as his tears begun to fall.

To hear their reassurances that he hadn't let them down, that he'd done well… It meant a lot coming from his friends because they obviously cared about him, however they didn't know the extent of his struggle and how much a failure he'd felt like when he thought Riza was dead.

"Rest easy now, son. The evil has been banished and your quest completed."

Unable to help himself he threw his arms around his mother's spirit form, too wrapped up in emotion to remember she wasn't actually there. She felt real and he could faintly smell the perfume she'd worn when he was a child.

Roy begun to cry harder.

"Now, the Princess gifted you with another chance in this kingdom," his father reminded him. Roy pulled away to look at him, feeling the reassuring touch on his shoulder. "Don't waste it," he winked, jerking his head towards where Riza was standing. Her eyes were closed in concertation, one hand gripping the stone tightly.

"We must go. She's reaching her limit."

Alarm bells went off in Roy's head.

"Riza?" he called to her, but only received a shake of the head and thumbs up, stating she was fine.

"We won't put anymore strain on her. Follow your true path, my son," his mother advised. "Make her the happiest person alive."

"I will," he promised, giving his mother another hug goodbye.

"We will continue to look over you," his father stated, hugging his son. "I'm looking forward to seeing my first grandchild," he chuckled, ruffling Roy's hair. Familiar irritation stirred in his gut as Roy ducked and ran a hand through his hair, only to freeze as he was suddenly transported back fifteen years with the show of affection.

"Goodbye, Roy," his mother called, her form already fading. "We both love you. So much."

"I love you," he whispered to the fading light.

Suddenly it was gone and Riza sagged against the stone.

"Are you okay?" Roy asked, heling her sit up and lean against it.

"Perfect," she reassured him, a content smile replacing her exhausted expression. Roy frowned in disapproval as she pushed herself too hard. "You need to rest."

"No, I needed to do that."

"_Riza_," he stressed, another familiar irritation growing inside him.

"_Roy_," she mimicked, sticking her tongue out playfully at him. Roy, frozen in shock, just stared as she laughed. His own lips quirked up into a grin and he took a seat next to her, entwining their hands and bringing them to rest on his lap.

"Thank you for that gift," he breathed, giving her hand a squeeze, feeling accomplished for the first time in his life. "That… That was the best thing anyone has ever done for me."

"It was my pleasure, and the least I could do. You've looked out for me all these years, yet no one has looked out for you. I was so caught up in everything that I never really thought about that until now. I was reckless in my battles and worried you senseless, making you feel like a failure –"

"No –"

"But it was never intentional, I hope you understand that. I had a lot of pent up anger than needed released." Riza shrugged. "Bradley's men seemed like the best people to use it against."

Roy sighed deeply, giving her hand another squeeze. "It was justifiable. And while every day I would wake up strategizing how I would keep you from almost killing yourself that day, I wouldn't change a minute of it." He nudged her shoulder with his own. "_That_ was the Riza I fell in love with. The wild, untameable girl who always teased and challenged me to sword fights."

"Wild?" she asked with a wry grin.

Roy nodded. "Of course. You're a Highlander. This land is in our veins and there's nothing wilder than living true to ourselves up here."

Riza grinned and pecked him on the cheek, eyes fluttering closed after resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

**only one more to go after this! remember when this was only supposed to be 5 chapters long lmao**


	10. Epilogue

**AN: i had to include the chalamain gap in here because i walked (more like scrambled lmao) through it in april when i got more inspiration for this fic and it's actually an extremely beautiful walk. it's literally a boulder field which was super fun to traverse and the view you get of cairn gorm as you exit the small valley is stunning. the perfect view for riza to return home to : )**

**chalamain is pronounced "sha-la-main"**

**ryvoan is pronounced "rye-voan"**

**lairigh ghru is pronounced "la-rig groo"**

* * *

"We'll need to head back through the Chalamain Gap," Roy explained, pointing to that exact point on the map. The Chalamain Gap was a ravine in which large boulders littered the ground. Some were as large as a table and as sharp as a sword so traversing it could be difficult and strenuous, however it was their only option at the minute.

The other route, through Ryvoan Pass, had been barricaded by Bradley and his men years ago and the effort to remove the debris and defences had only just begun. The land before the pass was flat as a pancake, however mountains stood tall as the edges of the pass. They prevented any access to go around the pass, so the Gap was their best bet. It was longer in distance, but shorted in time.

Just a short trip through the Lairigh Ghru, through the Gap, and Riza would be home.

There was a thrill in her stomach at the thought.

"We get to go through the boulder field?" a small, excited voice piped up from the back of the room. Riza turned with a smile. Her son was _supposed_ to be in his bed, but of course, he was still up and running about the house. His nursemaid was probably tearing her hair out trying to find him.

Riza would need to ensure she upped poor Rebecca Catalina's wages. She deserved much more than she received already, but that was the thought Riza had every night after her son somehow managed to escape his nursemaid's clutches.

Young James wasn't a bad child, just very inquisitive and very excitable.

"You're supposed to be asleep, James," Roy scolded lightly.

"I heard you talking," he explained, striding over to them and climbing up onto the chair next to his mother, kneeling on it as his wide eyes took in the map before him. "And I couldn't sleep."

"Do you mean to say you left poor Rebecca frantically searching for you while you ran off?" Roy asked, turning to face his son with a disapproving look on his face.

James' excitement faded, his face falling. Riza rolled her eyes behind her son, shooting her husband a knowing smile.

As if fate would have it, one particular soldier passed by the door as Riza turned.

"Sir Havoc?" she called. The blonde soldier back peddled and entered through the door. _The perfect person_. "Could you head to James' quarters and inform Rebecca that our unruly son has been found."

Riza noted how his cheeks turned slightly pink. For two long Riza had watched the two beat around the bush. A little push was all they needed.

Well, in Sir Havoc's case, a large push.

"Tell her to take the rest of the night off, I'll see to my son." Out of the corner of her eye she saw James cringe, fearing the worst. Roy chuckled behind her. "Understandably, it's a high-pressure job," Riza turned and shot her son a look. "So, I ask that you offer her a drink and help ease her of the stress that comes with looking after the Prince."

"Ri – Right away, Your Majesty," he stuttered with a salute – one hand fisted over his heart as he bowed. He was out the door in record time.

"It's cute how excited he gets," Roy stated as she turned back to the table. She wrapped an arm around James' shoulder, pulling his body against hers.

"It is. They just needed a push. Consider them pushed."

Roy chuckled. "I will. I'm intrigued to see how this will turn out."

"As am I. However," she added, taking a deep breath. "It will be a while before we see the result."

Roy caught her eye and smiled knowingly. "It will," he agreed.

They were finally returning home.

While they both ruled the entirety of Alba, the North would always be her true home. Cairn Gorm was the seat of her family's power and while Riza hadn't ruled from there for seven years, there was a pull to return there. It was her ancestral home, so naturally that feeling was there, and she felt it was her duty to return.

Not to mention the fact she wanted to restore the area to its glory after Bradley destroyed it. However, one thing lead to another and it had been put off all these years.

First, her and Roy's marriage which had taken place at Torridon. Her whole court was present here and that was all Riza needed. Then, there was a terrible winter that year which made travel extremely difficult. Plus, she had to deal with the circumstances of such weather. Livestock had died thanks to the freak weather and frigid temperatures they'd experienced that year. Riza had to devise a plan with her court and her husband to try and replenish their food stores.

Shortly after that came her pregnancy. James was a gift to them both and the exact news the kingdom needed after the harsh weather. He was their pride and joy, even if he was unruly at times. He was just curious, and both Riza and Roy encouraged that trait. He was eager to learn all about magic and was desperate to discover what form he would take. Would it be earth like his mother's line, or fire like his father's?

Only time would tell.

After James had been born it was decided they would travel when the child was older. Now, at the age of six, he was full of energy and desperate to return to the mountain he'd heard so much about from his parents.

Riza shared his excitement, however, her throne was where her court was. That was what mattered to Riza, not some large fancy chair. So, Torridon had been a fine substitute for them to reign from.

But it was time to return home. It was time to face her past.

The whole trek through the Gap Riza's heart was in her throat. Roy had returned periodically to oversee the project that was rebuilding her ancestral home. Just another half a mile around this corner and Riza would get to see the progress that had been made over the last six years.

The other reason her heart was in her throat was because her son was leaping from boulder to boulder in the Gap with as much sure footedness as a mountain goat. James didn't have a care in the world as he jumped from boulder to boulder, completely unconcerned about the fact that one wrong step could break his leg.

As they rounded the last corner the sight took her breath away.

There, in the summer sunshine, stood her family's home, just as she remembered it. The tall spires reaching high but nowhere near breaking the view of the mountain summit behind it.

_Her_ mountain. Her home.

An overwhelming happiness overtook Riza and she felt her knees shake. Trying to calm her racing heart, Riza placed a hand on her chest. She was unable to hold back the tears.

"Well, what do you think?" Roy asked, his tone holding a hint of nervousness. She knew he'd spent hours agonising over the designs his men had sent while working on her home. He never showed Riza them – "_I want it to be a surprise_" – so she never got to help, but seeing this…

It was beyond anything she'd ever hoped for.

They were still quite a distance away, however Riza's eyes could pick out the details stating that this house was an exact clone of the house she'd been forced to leave seventeen years ago.

_Home_.

One thing that did catch her eye, was a small copse of trees where there should only be heather.

"That's…" Roy trailed off before clearing his throat. "That's the vines you released as we fled all those years ago. One of the men is skilled in earth magic so I asked if he could work with it to turn it into a garden of some sort. A safe haven for whenever things become too much and you need a quiet moment to yourself."

Riza turned to face her husband, her friend, her King. He wrung his hands in front of him nervously, awaiting her to say something.

"We can remove it if you don't like it," he quickly added. "I just thought… It was born in a moment where things had been too much, and while I wanted to get rid of it because it was a painful memory, I also thought this might do us good. A reminder, and also something to learn from."

"It's perfect," Riza whispered, discarding all thought that her court stood behind then and she kissed Roy, trying to convey how she loved him with every single fibre of her being.

"Who knew you were such a romantic?" Hughes grinned, slapping Roy on the back as he passed by. "Come on lovebirds, we're famished, and this heat is oppressive. I'm desperate for a breeze."

"There's a stream down here!" she heard James call. Stepping closer to the edge of the slope, sure enough, James was squatting beside a stream gurgling its way down the mountain. "It tastes delicious!"

"That's all I need, James my boy!" Hughes called with a laugh, scrambling down the slope to join his god son.

Riza continued onwards with Roy, bringing her mountain further into view. Her house stood proud, the heather swaying in the now present breeze as it happily greeted her home. She felt a stir in the ground underneath her, as if the soil and the roots were shifting in greeting. Riza smiled and flattened her palm towards it. The roots shook but never broke the surface of the soil. Energy surged through the ground, drifting away from her in every direction, covering the whole of the moorland.

"Is everything all right?" Roy asked.

Riza nodded, tears in her eyes. "Everything is perfect," she whispered.


End file.
